The invention relates to techniques and equipment for assembling products such as cameras and more particularly relates to a method for assembling a critically positioned camera component on a camera body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,543 entitled xe2x80x9cMethod for Label Application Using Bernoulli Effectxe2x80x9d, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, discloses a labeling method in which a label is floated on an air cushion into a substantially exact alignment with an area of an item receiving the label. It has been determined that this method is very efficient and the precision of label placement provided by this method is very great.
Cameras conventionally use a large number of components that are individual pieces which must be separately assembled with the rest of the camera. Precise positioning of these components is generally a function of other support structures.
It would thus be desirable to provide an improved assembly method in which a component is preassembled with a support sheet, such as a label, and is then precisely positioned on a body.
The invention is defined by the claims. The invention, in its broader aspects, provides a method for assembling, in which a component is critically positioned on a larger body, such as a camera. The component is joined to a predetermined attachment area of a support sheet. The support sheet is floated into alignment with a labeler head. The labeler head is positioned in alignment with a predetermined location on the body. The body is contacted with the support sheet and the component while maintaining the alignments. A camera can be maintained light-tight during the joining, floating, positioning, and contacting steps.
It is an advantageous effect of at least some of the embodiments of the invention that an improved assembly method is provided, in which a component is preassembled with a support sheet, such as a label, and is then precisely positioned on a body.